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Portugal 14th in European health services ranking

Portugal remained in 14th place in the 2017 ranking of European health services, improving in some indicators, but scoring below par in terms of hospital infections and the number of caesarean sections.

The Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI), by the Health Consumer Powerhouse organisation, is an annual ranking of Europe’s national health systems based on six areas: patient rights and information, accessibility, outcomes, diversity and breadth of services provided, prevention, and pharmaceuticals.Among the 35 countries surveyed, Portugal ranked 14th, the same as in 2016, and remaining outside the “800 club”, which includes countries that scored 800 points in the indicators, for which the maximum score is 1,000.With 747 points, Portugal recorded a decrease of 28 points which, according to the authors of the ‘ranking’, was due to a greater tightening of the criteria.Nevertheless, Portugal remained ahead of the United Kingdom (15th), Spain (18th), Italy (21st) and Ireland (24th).According to the Health Consumer Powerhouse, the Netherlands has the best European health system, followed by Switzerland (2nd) and Denmark (3rd).

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